Reader by lemon24 vs Coldsweat
A side-by-side comparison of two self-hosted rss & news readers options — licensing, setup difficulty, resource needs, and what each one replaces.
| Feature | Reader by lemon24 | Coldsweat |
|---|---|---|
| Deploy effort | Under-an-hour setup | Under-an-hour setup |
| Health score | 80 · Excellent | 5 · At risk |
| Category | RSS & News Readers | RSS & News Readers |
| License | MIT | MIT |
| Language | Python | SCSS |
| Setup difficulty | Easy | Medium |
| Min. RAM | 128 MB | 128 MB |
| Deployment | docker, source | bare-metal, docker |
| GitHub stars | ★ 557 | ★ 146 |
| First released | 2018 | 2013 |
| Replaces | Feedly, Google Reader | Google Reader, Feedly |
What are Reader by lemon24 and Coldsweat?
Reader by lemon24
reader is a Python feed reader library that can fetch, store, and manage RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds, and it ships with a basic self-hostable web app and CLI. It supports plugins, full-text search, and OPML import for building a personal feed reader.
- Feed reader library and CLI
- Bundled web application
- Full-text search
- OPML import and export
Coldsweat
Coldsweat is a self-hosted, web-based RSS aggregator and reader designed as a Google Reader replacement. It implements the Fever API so that compatible mobile clients can connect.
- Fever API compatibility
- Works with mobile apps
- Lightweight aggregator
Reader by lemon24 vs Coldsweat: key differences
Reader by lemon24 is written in Python, while Coldsweat is built with SCSS. Coldsweat is the more established project (first released 2013), while Reader by lemon24 arrived in 2018. Reader by lemon24 has the considerably larger community, at 557 GitHub stars versus 146.
Why pick each one
Choose Reader by lemon24 if…
- Released under the MIT license
- Easy to set up — beginner-friendly
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in Python
Choose Coldsweat if…
- Released under the MIT license
- First-class Docker support for quick deployment
- Written in SCSS
- Tiny footprint — runs in 128 MB RAM
Frequently asked questions
Is Reader by lemon24 or Coldsweat better?
Reader by lemon24 is the stronger all-round pick: it has both the larger community and the simpler easy setup. Consider Coldsweat if its specific feature set fits your needs better.
Are Reader by lemon24 and Coldsweat free and open-source?
Yes. Reader by lemon24 is licensed under MIT and Coldsweat under MIT. Both can be self-hosted at no software cost.
Can I run Reader by lemon24 and Coldsweat with Docker?
Reader by lemon24: yes. Coldsweat: yes.